India blow apart Zimbabwe to win T20I series with a game to spare
India dictated, dominated and decimated Zimbabwe in ruthless fashion, sealing a clinical win in Harare to pocket the T20I series with a game to spare. Another precision show of all-round dominance saw the Men in Blue control the tempo of the game from the outset.
Winning the toss, Zimbabwe opted to bowl first. Blessing Muzarabani made good on the decision, claiming the crucial wicket of Abhishek Sharma (8). The fall of Sharma saw Sooryavanshi settle into his natural stride of belligerence, smashing 20 off just nine balls with three fours and a six, before Richard Ngarava sent him packing.
However, India didn’t buckle under the pump. Ishan Kishan took over the reins while Shreyas Iyer played an anchoring knock to dispel any fears of a collapse. Kishan smashed 81 off just 44 balls, hammering nine fours and two sixes, while Iyer knitted together 25 off 20.
The duo stitched together a stand of 66 runs from just 42 balls as India got up and running. Brian Bennett finally broke the partnership, removing Shreyas Iyer, but that did very little to dissuade the visitors from their path of aggression.
In fact, India doubled down on the charge as an incoming Tilak Varma unleashed absolute carnage while Ishan Kishan motored along in perfect sync and rhythm.
By the time Kishan was dismissed by Newman Nyamhuri, the two had already added 96 runs for the fourth wicket. India finished on a high as Varma stayed unbeaten on 60 from just 29 balls, smashing five fours and three sixes. At the end of 20 overs, India had amassed 219/5.
Despite some resistance from Brian Bennett (32), India applied the brakes just in time to rattle through the spine of Zimbabwe’s batting. Yash Thakur dealt the first blow, removing Bennett, while Prince Yadav accounted for Ben Curran (1) two balls later.
The fall of Bennett opened up the floodgates, and the Indian bowlers didn’t waste a second storming through it. Dion Myers (12) was the next to fall, outfoxed by Ravi Bishnoi. Sikandar Raza (0), the Zimbabwean skipper, was no match for the brilliance of Prince Yadav.
Tadiwanashe Marumani (24) did put up a fight, but it wasn’t enough, as India bundled out Zimbabwe for 129, the hosts losing all 10 wickets for the addition of just 95 runs. Abhishek Sharma capped an excellent clean-up act, finishing with figures of 3/17 to be the pick of the Indian bowlers.
Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav (before the injury) shattered Zimbabwe’s resistance up top as India wrested the series with a game to spare. Ishan Kishan won the Player of the Match award for his excellent batting performance in Harare.
